Before the Dark Lord Comes
by Valentina LaFontaine
Summary: It's the night before the Dark Lord comes to make the Malfoy Manor his headquarters. Both of the Malfoys cannot sleep.


Lucius spent most of the night in between stages of insomnia and in a light stage of sleeping but totally aware of his surroundings. Tomorrow night the Dark Lord was to use Malfoy Manor as his Headquarters and stay for as long as he pleased. Lucius was more than aware of Lord Voldemort's disappointment with him and after spending his time in Azkaban he was already jumpy with the horrible dreams he would have of the Dementors coming into his home and sucking him dry of any life. He tossed and turned in his bed for a couple hours, but soon he gave up and turned on his back to stare up at the black ceiling of his bedroom. He inhaled, and exhaled sharply through his nostrils and turned to see if his wife was sleeping soundly like she usually was, but the place where she slept always on the left side. Her golden hair in her face and her lean body moving up and down slowly as she breathed, but to his disappointment the spot by him was empty.

He groaned and forced himself out of his bed and walked around the empty manor. The balls of his feet lightly echoed throughout the hallways. He was used to being barefoot in Azkaban, now it didn't bother him. He finally found his wife with her back to him. Her head looking down at an object on her lap as she sat on the dark green couch. "Cissa?" he asked, making sure she was awake.

"Hmm?" she asked looking up from the object and turning to him. The candlelight reflected off half of her face into the beautiful blue eyes of hers. She was so beautiful, and it seemed the older she became the more beautiful she was.

"What are you doing here?" he asked walking forward to the couch and ran his hands lightly through her hair.

"I couldn't sleep." She said bringing his hand to her cheek. "I was tossing and turning…I didn't want to keep you up. You couldn't sleep?"

"Not a wink." He replied. "I tried but…"

"The dreams?" Narcissa asked finishing his sentence. Lucius nodded and Narcissa turned to the object sitting in her lap. Lucius looked over her shoulder to see a picture of Draco as a baby smiling, and laughing in the sepia portrait. "I wish he was that age again." She said with a sigh. "He can be my little boy forever."

"He's growing up. He was a baby for long enough… now he's man."

"He's not ready to take on the responsibility of being _His _follower. He's our son not his."

"You knew the consequences of being under the Dark Lord thumb. We both knew this day would come…"

"But not this soon…he isn't ready. He's not like you Lucius-."

"I know." Lucius said walking around the couch and sitting beside her. Narcissa shook her head. "I wish we could go back and forget this whole mess."

"We can't. Our only option is to be in his good graces again you know that Cissa."

Narcissa looked behind her and from side to side and leaned close to her husband and said in a hush voice. "I don't want _Him_ here."

"Your sister seems more than happy-."

"I couldn't give a damn about what Bellatrix wants. This is my home, not hers."

"It wasn't mine nor Bella's choice."

"Yes I know." Narcissa said sitting the picture back on the table beside the couch. She laid her hand on his shoulder and looked up at him. "Are you scared?" she asked her a shaky voice as she inhaled and exhaled.

Lucius hesitated and ran his hand down his wife's arm. "No. Of course not." Narcissa raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him. His greasy, lifeless long hair and pale skin reflected a hard life in Azkaban. His age was actually showing on him. Narcissa knew him as the ageless man with his handsome head held high. Now he looked like a man whose seen things no one should see. This wasn't the man she married. When she looked into his eyes, she could see the front that he was putting up and she could tell he was deathly afriad. Not just for his life, but also for hers and Dracos life. "You're lying." She said.

Lucius nodded his head. "That's right."

"I'll be here with you." Narcissa said holding his hand tightly in hers and kissed him. "Lets just not think about Him right now." Narcissa said nudging into Lucius's arms. "Lets just...try and relax."

Relax. That's a word that Lucius hadn't heard in what seemed like years. He leaned his body against couch, and holding his wife. He couldn't relax not with the thoughts and dreams plauging his mind. "Are you relaxed?" Narcissa asked.

"No." Lucius answered truthfully. "I need whiskey."


End file.
